Way Back Into Love
by chihiro hiroshima
Summary: Many tragedies have befallen poor Momoko and Ryu hasn't got the power yet to tell her how he feels. Will he be able to help her find a way back into love and possibly tell her his true feelings?
1. Bad Experiences

**Authors note: **Hello again. This is a new story based on a play that my sister had in school. Well, it was a kiddy one, but I liked the plot though. So, I'm gonna revise it into a teen version. Hope you guys like it!!!!

P.S.: It only involves Kyu Megumi and Ryu, so don't get mad if I didn't put Kazuma or Kinta in here.

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**The Little Empress**

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**Chapter One:** A New Era

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_Once upon a time, in the heart of ancient Japan, there lived an empire at the foot of the Sun Mountain where its walls shimmered like gold and the houses looked like jewels when the sun stuck them._

_And the people never frowned. Each person had a smile on their face everyday and it was never forced. They always exchanged kind words and deeds. And they all lived in peace and prosperity._

And all this was sustained by The Light, from which the gift of laughter came from. _laughter It was given to the Emperor, who took care of it for many years._

_One day, he brought his son to the balcony of the Great Palace which overlooked the whole empire. His young son stared in awe as he looked upon his father's empire._

"_Soon my son," said the Emperor "Soon all of this will be in your reign."_

"_All of this?" repeated his son. He was surprised that one day _he _will get to rule the empire of jewels._

"_Yes," replied the Emperor "All of this."_

"_All of this will be mine soon," repeated his son again softly as he watched the sun set over his beloved empire…_

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"All of this will be mine soon," repeated Ryu as he stared at the empire from the same balcony again. He sighed and leaned against the balcony, running a hand through his soft blue hair.

"Problem?" asked his sister Megumi from behind. He smiled and shook his head gently.

"No, nothing's wrong," said Ryu "I just can't imagine myself running an empire as peaceful as this. I mean, what if I suddenly make a mistake and cause a revolution of some sort? Or…what if I—"

"Don't think negative Ryu," said Megumi reassuringly "You won't make a great emperor that way."

"I'm just nervous," said Ryu "I'm going to be presented tomorrow in front of the whole empire. I haven't even met _anyone _outside the palace yet. I don't think they even like me."

"Of course not," said Megumi "They all said you are kind and will be a wonderful ruler one day. And besides, you'll just be presented. It's going to be really short.

"Easier said than done," scoffed Ryu and buried his face in his arms "Dad's reign was better. He made his people peaceful in a split second. How should I do that as well?" Megumi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Just believe that you can do it," she said "And by the way, father wants to see you." Ryu nodded and went off with her.

XXX

Megumi opened the door to her parent's grand room and saw her father giving orders to the Royal Legislator. She always loved this room with its jade green walls and curtains made out of silk that shimmered like rubies. Practically, everything here was made out of gold, and it made it more striking.

Her father looked up and smiled. "Ah Ryu!" he said cheerfully "Just the man I wanted to see." Ryu smiled weakly and approached him.

"I hope you're ready for the presentation tomorrow," said the Emperor putting an arm around Ryu's shoulders "I'm almost certain the people will love you with one look."

"Oh I'm ready father," said Ryu weakly "Ready as I'll ever be." Megumi sat down with her mother on the bed and giggled softly.

'He's nervous isn't he?" asked the Empress. Megumi nodded.

"Your father's just so proud of him that he fulfilled his duty as a good prince," said the Empress "And so am I."

"You're not nervous are you?" asked the Emperor. Ryu just shrugged.

"I'm just worried that I might do something wrong father," replied Ryu guiltily "I never got the chance to actually rule a whole empire. And I'm afraid that the time might come when I least expect it." The Emperor put his hands on his shoulders and smiled at him warmly.

"You won't make mistakes that can change the empire," said the Emperor reassuringly "I know you will make a great emperor." Ryu smiled. The Emperor put his arm around him again and drew him away.

"Who knows?" said the Emperor "I may teach you the Magic Verse." Chuckling, he brought Ryu outside. Smiling, the Empress followed them as well. But Megumi stayed behind, wondering what the Magic Verse was.

XXX

Night has fallen in the Great Palace. Megumi watched as the lantern dancers danced their evening dance and listened to the soothing music they were dancing to. Seeing the women wearing jade green dresses already made her drowsy.

The door creaked open and the Empress let herself in her room. She approached her daughter and placed her hands on her shoulders. Megumi jumped, startled with her mothers sudden appearance.

"Beautiful aren't they?" said the Empress "They always used to make me sleep." She laughed softly.

"Mother," said Megumi thoughtfully "I was just wondering…"

"What is it dear?"

"What is the Magic Verse?" asked Megumi. The Empress looked thoughtful for a moment and sat down on a nearby chair.

"Why do you ask?" asked her mother.

"I'm just curious…" said Megumi shrugging.

"Well," began the Empress "When your father was a prince, the empire fell into ruin. What I mean is that misery befell the empire for no apparent reason. Desperate, your grandfather sent him to look for the Dragon God to help him. After a few obstacles, he was able to reach the Dragon God and he was given the Verse."

"But what does the Verse do?" asked Megumi.

"The Verse releases the Light, which creates the Gift of Laughter," explained the Empress 'When the Verse is spoken, the Light will shine upon the person and sustains him with laughter and happiness."

"So that's how the empire became peaceful," said Megumi thoughtfully "I get it now…"

"And you, my little empress will now have some sleep," said the Empress "It's a big day tomorrow, so sleep well."

"I will mother," said Megumi smiling. Her mother kissed her forehead and left the room, leaving Megumi to dream about the Verse for as long as she liked.

**Authors note: **Sorry if the chapter was boring. This part (no offense) was boring in the play anyway. Oh well. Please review!!!!!!!!


	2. Hard Times

**Authors note: **Thanks for the reviews!!! Always appreciated! Enjoy please!

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**Chapter Two: **Hard Times

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Ryu still couldn't forget the day when we just stood there and watched as Momoko drowned in her sorrow. Rumors were circulating that her mom died just yesterday and she wasn't there to see her off.

He felt horrible about not being there for her when she needed him the most. He was the only friend she had left, although, he didn't feel much like a friend to her that time.

Unfortunately, she didn't come to school today. She had to stay with her family as they brought her mom out of the hospital and into the morgue. If she came, she wouldn't be talking to anyone at all. She would be really silent with her hair covering her whole face.

Ryu ignored the teacher the whole time. He was absent-mindedly doodling onto his notebook, unaware at what he was doing. Before he knew it, he wrote the word Momoko onto the sheet. He saw it and quickly tore it out.

But he stared at the word again. _Momoko… _He began to draw her at the back of the torn sheet of paper. When the class ended, he had a full portrait of her smiling at him. He had perfected the art of drawing her face, since she always asked him to draw her every now and then.

He missed her smiling face. It always made his heart feel it would burst out of his chest. It made him feel as if he could fly. And right now, it made him feel bad about not being able to restore her happiness any longer.

The bell rang for lunch. He sighed and slipped the drawing into his pocket. He walked alone to the cafeteria, ignoring everyone around him.

Once he got his lunch, he sat down and slid his phone open (yes, he has a slide phone). He scrolled down in his address book to Momoko's name. He felt tempted to call her, but he respected her privacy and closed his phone. Besides, he was too scared to do it anyway.

_What kind of friend am I? _he thought to himself, _I can't even give comfort to the one I love! _He felt himself go red at that thought, but he shook his head and got rid of the feeling. But he couldn't help thinking that he was always too afraid to so anything for Momoko. _I really am a coward…_

He remembered something two years ago, something that Momoko told their group that struck him hard now.

_-Flashback, 2 years ago-_

Satsuki, Hajime, Leo, Keichirou, Momoko, Kyu, Megumi, Ryu, Kinta and Kazuma were walking home from school one Friday. Momoko had recently received the news that her mother had cancer and everyone felt bad for her and comforted her the whole day.

"I'm really sorry about your mom," said Megumi patting her gently on the back. Momoko sighed.

"I feel terrible," she said quietly "What if she…you know…"

"Don't think like that!" said Kyu in his cheering up tone "The more you think of that, the more of a possibility it would happen—" Momoko looked at him horrified.

"Which is all the more reason for you not to think about it!" finished Kinta twisting Kyu's ear.

"Oww!" he cried.

"Let him go Kinta," said Momoko.

"Yeah Kinta," said Kyu "Let me go. I just said a few words of wisdom for her!" Kinta glared at him and released him, letting him fall to the floor.

"Don't worry Momoko, you know we're here for you!" said Hajime. Satsuki, who was a little bit jealous of Momoko, shot a glare at him, but his head was turned the other way.

"Yeah," said Momoko chuckling softly "And I know you'll be staying with me the whole time, right?" Everyone hesitated except for Ryu, who was wondering why everyone stopped in their tracks.

"Right?" repeated Momoko, softer this time. Keichirou stepped forward timidly.

"Um, Momoko?" he said "There's something I need to tell you…" Momoko looked at him in confusion. Everyone except Ryu looked guilty.

"Why can't you stay…?" asked Momoko softly. Everyone sighed.

"Well you see…" began Megumi "I'm being sent to a boarding school in Yokohama in 2 weeks…My parents want it."

"And I'm going to this school overseas," said Kyu "I am being sent there because someone from there noticed my detecting skills and…yeah…"

"Dad wants me to go to military school and I'm never getting out," confessed Kinta "He said I needed more discipline…"

"I'm moving to Osaka," said Kazuma "My parents switched jobs and gained more money there. They're sending me to this really fancy private school until I graduate..."

"My parents want me home-schooled," said Leo "And they'll home-school me until I graduate too…"

"And Hajime, Keichirou and I will be transferring to another school," said Satsuki with a little bit of regret in her voice "Our parents wanted it."

Momoko was devastated. Why were all her friends leaving? Then she remembered someone. She turned to Ryu.

"Will you be leaving as well?" she asked him. He felt his cheeks flame up when she faced him.

"U-uh…no," he said finally.

"Then you'll stay right? With me?" she asked. Ryu looked straight into her eyes and felt enlightened.

'Yes," he said confidently "I will."

_-End flashback-_

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"I just don't know what to do," said Ryu to Kyu on the phone as he walked home "I'm not brave enough to actually comfort her…"

"You do love her right?" asked Kyu from the other line.

"Well…yes but—" said Ryu.

"Then you'll just have to overcome your feelings and go to her," advised Kyu. Ryu sighed.

"I don't think I can…" he said but then he saw something that made him stop. He was in front of Momoko's house. But it was strangely surrounded by police cars and ambulances. He wondered what had happened.

"Hello? Ryu?" came Kyu's voice from the phone.

"Uh, Kyu? I gotta go. Something came up," said Ryu absent-mindedly and he closed his phone despite Kyu's protests.

He rushed to the nearest window and peered inside. Momoko and her 4 brothers and sisters were clustered around each other. He could see her crying again, but this time he didn't know why.

Suddenly, the door flew open and the ambulance people came out with a stretcher with a body on top of it. But this body was covered from head to toe. _It must be dead, _thought Ryu.

Momoko followed the men outside. Ryu hurriedly hid in the nearest bush. She saw her staring at the ambulance as it sped away. Then, she started to cry again and ran back into the house.

Ryu sighed and leaned back against the wall of the house. He couldn't do anything again. He sank down and held his forehead. He was angry with himself. All he could do was hide from her. Why couldn't he do anything more?

_That's it, _he said mentally, _I'll try to do everything I can to help her, no matter how hard it is. And maybe, I'll tell her how I feel…I'm brave enough_.

It was settled and he went home determinedly, wondering what his next move should be.

**Authors note: **Hope you like it!! Sorry if Ryu might be too interfering. As you know, people don't like it when other people interfere with their other problems. But he's in love and he can't help it. - Drop Comments!!!


	3. Difficult Problems

**Authors note: **Thanks for the comments again!!! Hope you liked it so far despite the misfortunes! -

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**Chapter Three: **Difficult Problems

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Since Kyu moved overseas, Ryu had to rent an apartment somewhere near the school. And to sustain that apartment, he had to work. But he had a hard time concentrating on his work, which was a part-time restaurant business run by his friend's dad, because his mind was fully occupied with thoughts of Momoko.

It was like every time he closed his eyes, he could see her crying and screaming. And whenever he saw that, his heart would sink and he would try to reach out to her, but he couldn't reach her. Once, when he closed his eyes at break time, he saw her crying so hard and screaming so loud that it went through his heart and tears formed in his eyes.

His friend saw them spilling out of his eyes and became worried. After a few persuasions from Ryu saying he's alright, the manager told him to rest for a while and provide the money for his apartment for a while.

That morning, he stumbled upon an article while reading the newspaper. It was about a theft saying that they've captured the thief. But what caught him off guard was the last name of the criminal. Koigakubo.

He reeled in shock. That Momoko's brother, Mokoru Koigakubo. He could hardly believe what he had read. It stated in the article that he attempted to steal approximately 2000 yen from the mayor, and he did manage to retrieve it, but he failed since he got captured. It also says that Mokoru doubts that he was the one who stole it, but his description matched the picture of the thief.

Aware that he was going to be late for class, he quickly cut out the article and stuffed it in his pocket. He then grabbed his things and ran off.

When he got to class, which he came to on time, he dumped his things onto his desk and sat down with a sigh. He was about to close his eyes again and think of Momoko, if not for a flash of purple that caught his eye.

He looked at the direction of Momoko's desk and saw her. Almost all her hair, which was messed up, was covering her face. He could see a hint of her eye peeking out from a space of her hair and it was red from all that crying.

She was staring silently at her desk, unaware that Ryu was watching her. During class, Momoko stared at a pair of scissors lying at the corner of her desk. She glanced from it to her flipped up wrist. Ryu saw this as well and glanced from the teacher to her, wondering if the teacher might see what Momoko was planning to do.

Momoko slowly inched her hand towards the scissors. As her fingers closed around it, Ryu gripped his pen tightly, his heart pounding against his ribs. He wanted to stop her, but he couldn't risk the teacher and the class looking at them. And besides, he was too afraid.

Fortunately, Momoko ignored the idea and put away the scissors. Ryu breathed a sigh of relief, but Momoko heard it. She turned to look at him. He managed a smile, but Momoko turned away again.

Ryu leaned on his desk and rubbed his aching forehead. Everything that was happening to Momoko was overwhelming. And it was overwhelming him as well.

XXX

"She tried to WHAT?!" exclaimed Kyu over the phone as Ryu walked home again.

"You heard me," said Ryu "She tried to cut herself."

"As in she opened the scissors or stabbed it on her wrist?" asked Kyu, who was becoming terrified.

"She just got it and looked at it," said Ryu recalling what happened a while ago "She was looking at it and her wrist. It was like she was THINKING about it…"

"Dude that's so…." began Kyu, but he had no words to explain it.

"Yeah I know," said Ryu, shuddering.

"Oh by the way," said Kyu "I know why Satsuki's mad at Momoko."

"Why?' asked Ryu, who had not known the whereabouts of Satsuki in a long time.

"Because Satsuki really likes Hajime," explained Kyu "But Hajime keeps on talking to Momoko, since they have a 'brother-sister complex', so it leads her to thinking that Hajime likes Momoko and vice-versa."

"Is that so…?' said Ryu, but his mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of Momoko.

Suddenly, he heard shouting and screaming. He looked in that direction and, to his surprise; it was Momoko's house again.

It was so noisy in there; you would think there's a riot going on. He heard Momoko's dad screaming his head off and the desperate cries of Momoko and her siblings.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Kyu "Where are you anyway?"

"In front of Momoko's house," replied Ryu quietly.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know. I'll look." Ryu hung up and hid behind the same bush, where he waited the day before.

Suddenly, the door flew open and he saw Mokoru, who looked different, being thrown out. His dad was standing on the porch while Momoko was standing at the doorway in despair.

"Dad, come on, you gotta believe me!" pleaded Mokoru "I didn't take 2000 yen from the mayor! Honest!"

"That's enough!" commanded Mr. Koigakubo "Your description matched the thief's perfectly! There's no doubt about it! Now we have to go to court in two days! You were always the troublesome one, but now you've gone too far! You are banned from this house!" Mokoru looked up at him in shock.

'Daddy please!" begged Momoko.

"Be quiet!" snapped Mr. Koigakubo "You are forbidden to talk or be with this criminal!" Momoko started to cry again.

"But why can't I see my cousins and grandma?" she asked desperately.

"Because they're trying to get the money that your mother inherited!" said MR. Koigakubo "They're nothing but greedy pigs!" Ryu raised his eyebrows at Mr. Koigakubo's statement.

"But that's no reason to ban me from seeing them!" cried Momoko through her tears.

"That's enough!" roared Mr. Koigakubo "Go to your room!" In heavy sobs, she ran to her room. Mr. Koigakubo slammed the front door closed.

Ryu sighed and lay down on the grass. _Darn, _he thought to himself, _another opportunity lost. And I promised myself I would comfort her today!_ He was so mad at himself that he accidentally kicked the corner of the house. He flinched, hoping that no one heard it. Fortunately, no one did.

He picked a blade of grass and twirled it around his finger. _I'll do it tomorrow_, he thought, _For sure, I will. _He tied the blade onto his finger as a sign of promise, got up and headed home.

**Authors note: **Hope you liked it!!! Please drop comments!!!


	4. Wrong Timing

**Authors note: **Thank you for the comments!!! And yes Mask Rider Roy and Twilight Kyu, I will read your stories one day. -

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**Chapter Four: **Wrong Timing

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Momoko had her head faced down onto her desk. She started at the wood and the carvings that were imposed there. She wanted to smash it for all she cared.

_Why did all of this have to happen to me?!_ she thought grudgingly, _I never wanted to grow up and now that I did, all these things are happening to me! Why is this happening to me??_

She glances at the cutter she used during a project. It was covered in blood, due to the careless cuttings she did on her fingers. Actually, she made it slip on purpose, so she could feel the pain and so she's assured that she wasn't dreaming at all, though she really wished that she were.

Her seatmate was the first one to notice that her fingers were all red and dripping. Horrified, she told the teacher and he had her sent to the clinic for cleaning. Momoko didn't say anything about it.

Now, she was staring at it and her wrist. She knew that people feeling this way would want to do what she was planning. But she couldn't do it, no matter how hard she pushed herself.

"Miss Koigakubo," said the teacher handing her paper "It would seem that your grades are going down. This isn't like you at all."

"I know sir, but…" began Momoko.

"I know you had a hard time coping with your misfortune," said the teacher "but it's time to move on. Be happy that your mother is safe in heaven." He gave her paper to her and distributed the rest.

Momoko stared at the big red 65 on her paper. She crumpled it in anger and was very tempted to tear it to bits. She was unaware that she was being watched.

Ryu was looking at her intently. He was actually the first one to notice that she cut her fingers, but he wouldn't say anything about it, no matter how hard he pushed his lips to form words.

"Mr. Amakusa," said the teacher while handing him his paper "It would seem that your grades are dropping as well." He showed him his paper. Ryu saw that it was a 78, his 3rd lowest so far.

"I hope nothing's troubling you," said the teacher.

"No sir," said Ryu still looking at Momoko "There's nothing wrong. I'll do better next time sir…"

"We'll make sure you do," said the teacher and he walked off and started discussing a lesson.

The only reason Ryu was getting low in his grades was because his mind was clouded with thought of Momoko. He didn't fail, fortunately, but his studying habits were being disrupted because of her. He didn't mean to make her problems his own. He just wanted to help her. But then again, he couldn't.

The bell rang for dismissal. Momoko snatched her things and headed out the door. Ryu quickly packed his things and followed her.

XXX

Ryu felt weird following Momoko around like a stalker. He knew it wasn't necessary, but he wanted to help her. Momoko didn't seem to take notice of him. She was too preoccupied with her own thoughts.

She slammed the front door closed once she got home. She didn't even bother to lock it. It was Ryu's chance now to fulfill his mission. Pausing for a minute, he opened the door gently and stepped inside, not forgetting to close it as well.

He strained his neck and searched around the hall looking for her. He saw her bag on the sofa in the living room, but she wasn't there. He went up the stairs in hope that she was in her room. But he never bothered to look in the kitchen.

Momoko was at the sink and let the water run for a few minutes. She was crying again, trying to drown out the sound of her sobs with the water. After a few moments of depression, something glinted at the corner of her eye. Wiping her eyes, she advanced towards the shiny object and picked it up.

It was the kitchen knife her dad used to make breakfast this morning. Recently, she had been staring at shiny things a lot, especially sharp ones. She always wondered if they would help her escape one day. But she couldn't wait any longer. She wanted to escape, badly.

Turning off the faucet, she snatched the knife and sank down onto the floor. She held the knife to her wrist with trembling hands. She wasn't sure if she wanted to do it, but all the same, she wanted to anyway.

She pressed the knife deeper onto her skin, trying to aim for a cut that would end her sorrow. A trickle of blood ran down her arm from the small cut she had already made with the knife. Clenching the knife tightly, she was about to slice when someone appeared at the doorway.

"Drop the knife," said a stern voice. Momoko looked up and saw Ryu standing there. Ryu didn't notice his stern voice coming out of his mouth. He just wanted to stop Momoko.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Momoko softly, still holding the knife to her wrist.

"I wanted to help…" began Ryu when he saw the thin line of blood on her arm and the drips that splashed onto the floor.

"What are you doing…?' he asked in a soft, horrified voice.

"Escaping," said Momoko as soft.

"What are you thinking?!" said Ryu approaching her "Why are you doing this?"

"You wanna know why Ryu?" said Momoko, her voice rising to a shout "It's because I can't take this anymore! I can't! My mom is dead, my friends are gone, Satsuki's mad at me, I can't even see my grandma and my cousins, or get to go out of my house, my sister's dead and my brother's being accused of stealing 2000 yen, which he didn't do, and my dad won't even let in him in our house or let us see him! My dad's keeping me in this stupid house till I go crazy from all of this! I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!!!" She was breathing hard and had an angry glint in her eye. Ryu could see tears brimming on the edges of her eyes.

"You're sisters dead?" he asked, but he knew he shouldn't have. He remembered all the ambulances and police cars that were there two days ago.

Momoko scowled at him. "Killed herself actually," she said in a low voice "But why should you care?"

"Because I want to help," said Ryu kneeling in front of her. Momoko lightened her gaze, but was still in scowling mode.

"No thanks," she said "There's no need for it anymore."

"Why?"

"No one loves me anymore. Nobody cares…"Momoko looked down at the floor. Ryu felt he had to say something, and he felt like saying what he wanted to say before.

"I do," said Ryu, his heart pounding. Momoko looked up at him, not scowling anymore.

"You do?" asked Momoko.

"Momoko I've been in love with you ever since we were 12," confessed Ryu with a smile on his face "I've been meaning to say this, but I wasn't ready. But you've been on my mind since forever. Even at night I dream about you. And I want to do everything when you feel sad."

Momoko was speechless. She really didn't know what to after he said that. Ryu pushed Momoko's hair back and stroked her cheek. It felt hot in his touch.

"All you have to do is say that you love me back," said Ryu quietly "And I'll be more than happy." Then, he leaned forward and kissed her. Momoko's cheeks stopped burning and she put down the knife.

In truth, she really liked him. In fact, she was feeling the same way as he was before all this happened. When she was 12, whenever he smiled at her, she would jump for joy at home (Ryu on the other hand would flop on his bed and would sigh in happiness that Momoko smiled at him, again). But this wasn't one of those times. In fact, this was the worst time to confess.

She gently pushed him off her, and he let go, confused. Momoko looked down at the floor.

"Ryu, please do me a favor," she said. She looked up at his eyes, which was very bewildered at the moment. "Don't add to my troubles." With that, she stood up and walked away, probably going to wash off the blood on her arm.

Ryu hit his forehead hard, screaming in his head. _Well Ryu, _he said to himself, _you blew it. You always did have the wrong timing. _

**Authors note: **Hope you liked it!! Pretty sad, though… Sorry if the almost-cutting-her-wrist part was freaky. I wanted it to have an emo effect. - Drop comments!!!


	5. Hope Shines Through

**Authors note: **Thank you for all the reviews!!! This is the last chapter. Please enjoy!!!

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**Chapter Five: **Hope Shines Through

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It was a wonderful Saturday morning, well for everyone else in particular. But for two people, it wasn't an enjoyable morning for them.

Momoko had tightly bandaged her arm with a cloth after her incident with the knife. She still hadn't gotten over her heap of troubles. First her mom died, then her friends suddenly decide to transfer schools, while leaving her with Ryu and Satsuki still mad at her, then her sister dies, then her brother is accused and thrown out of the house, then her dad wont even let her see her relatives, then her grades are dropping, and NOW Ryu confesses his love to her while acting like a total stalker.

She stared at the blood stain on her arm. Even though she had waited all her life for Ryu to tell her that, she felt that his love has gone to waste. She just didn't feel the spark anymore.

Sighing as she flopped onto the sofa, she decided that she would let him go for a while. Just keep her mind straight.

XXX

Ryu was still reminiscing when he had his wrong timing. Why was he so stupid to not notice that it was the wrong time to confess? Now he had to fix everything. Rather, he _wanted _to fix everything.

The time for his rent was almost up, since his friend's dad didn't have enough money to support him any longer. He knew he had to think fast. He just wished everything could be a little easier.

So he thought hard for a plan. He thought and thought until his brain felt like it was going to burst. Finally he thought of something. He just hoped it worked. He snatched his phone and dialed up everyone.

XXX

"You sure this is going to work?" asked Kyu uncertainly over the phone. Ryu's phone had a special 7-way connection system, so he was able to call up everybody, except for Momoko and Keichiro, who had no phone.

"Come on," said Ryu "It can't hurt can it?"

"But we're all busy, aren't we?' said Megumi "We can't all go there."

"I can't," said Leo "I'm just home schooled."

"But what about the ones who are in military school, huh?" asked Kinta.

"Yeah," agreed Kazuma "And those who were acknowledged for their incredible program making skill and are extremely busy?"

"Who are you referring to?' asked Kinta.

"Why me of course," said Kazuma.

"Conceited little—"scoffed Kinta.

"Come on guys," said Hajime "Let's all go. It's for a friend anyway."

"I doubt that," said Satsuki. Everyone was quiet.

"What do you mean?" asked Megumi.

"I mean what I say," said Satsuki solidly.

"Satsuki, come on," said Ryu 'Get over it."

"Too bad," snapped Satsuki "I can't!"

"If this is about me liking Momoko and vice versa, let it go!" said Hajime heatedly "I like you now, don't I? We're apparently dating!" And of course, everyone heard that over the phone. Satsuki had her phone on loudspeaker, so Keichirou heard that as well. He began to giggle.

"You…didn't hear that," said Hajime quietly. Everyone laughed.

"So, is it settled then?" asked Ryu "Are you all coming?"

"I'll try my best," said Megumi.

"I can," said Leo.

"Sure," said Kazuma.

"OF course," said Kyu.

"Hell yeah!" exclaimed Hajime.

"Duh," said Kinta.

"We'll be there," said Satsuki, who sounded happy for once.

"Fantastic!" exclaimed Ryu.

"Oh yeah, Ryu," said Kyu "I have a surprise for you when I get there." And they all hung up. Ryu then called up Momoko's house, wondering what Kyu's surprise was.

XXX

He waited in a nearby park for Momoko's father. When he called her house, he had to disguise his voice because Momoko answered it. She would've been really furious if she found out it was him.

It took a few minutes of bickering until her dad finally agreed to see him. The sky was turning to dusk with the sun showing its final orange glow in the horizon. Finally, a car pulled up beside the swings and her dad stepped out.

"What's going on Ryu," he demanded "Have you been seeing Momoko?"

"No sir," said Ryu "Only once. But she was going to harm herself sir!"

"What?!" exclaimed her dad "You mean kill herself?!"

"Precisely, sir," said Ryu.

"What did you do to her?!"

"It's more of what _you _did sir." Momoko's dad was taken aback.

'What are you talking about Ryu?' he demanded.

"Banning her from seeing her relatives, kicking her brother out of the house," said Ryu "Apparently, this is adding weight to her sadness. And it became too heavy for her. You should've gone easier on her."

"Are you suggesting that _I _was the one who caused her sadness?" demanded her dad, now angry.

"Look deeper," said Ryu "You did ban her and kicked her brother out of the house, right?" Momoko's dad looked guiltily down at the ground.

"If you wanna lighten your daughters load," said Ryu "I suggest you help me with something."

XXX

The doorbell rang in the Koigakubo residence. Momoko, sighing, approached the door and answered it. Ryu stood at the doorstep.

"What are you doing here?" asked Momoko. She leaned against the doorpost while holding the door knob. Her eyebrow was raised and her eyes looked irritated. She finally tied her hair the usual style, though it was kind of messy.

"Ouch," said Ryu with a small smirk "Kinda harsh don't cha think?" He strode in casually. Momoko sighed and looked at him.

"I just don't want you to anything stupid again," she said "Like, I don't know, stalk me again?"

"Now why would Ryu do that?' asked a voice from behind.

"Because he—" began Momoko not taking any notice of the voice until she turned around to face the speaker. She gasped silently. Everyone was standing outside, smiling and was very happy to see their old friend.

"How the hell…" she whispered hoarsely, almost too excited and too happy to see them.

"Oh, Ryu organized the whole thing," said Kyu. Momoko looked at Ryu with tear-stained eyes.

"For me…?' she asked softly. Ryu shrugged with a smile.

"Uh, Momoko?" came Satsuki's voice from behind. She emerged from the sea of friends with a guilty expression.

"I'm sorry for getting mad at you," apologized Satsuki "I thought, well, you and Hajime were getting too close and I thought—" She was interrupted by a bear hug from Momoko.

"I don't care," she whispered in her ear "As long as you're back with me." Satsuki felt tears in her eyes as she hugged her best friend.

"You should really thank Ryu," said Hajime "He took the liberty to bring us all here."

"And here's another reason why you should thank him," said her dad, beckoning them all to step in. He silently called upon someone from the living room. Momoko was more than happy to see this person.

"Mokoru!" she cried out happily and ran to embrace her brother.

"Ryu was brave enough to convince me to bring Mokoru back,' explained her dad "He did all of this for you." Momoko turned to face Ryu.

"I…I don't know what to say…" said Momoko.

'Say you love him!" said Keichirou. Everyone agreed to his statement.

"He'll be more than happy anyway, right?' asked Megumi slyly. Ryu took notice.

But Momoko needed no telling twice. She ran to Ryu and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered "Thank you for everything you've done. Thank you for being there for me when I wasn't feeling right. And thank you for loving me. I love you too." They hugged each other warmly.

"Oh yeah Ryu," said Kyu "About my surprise." Ryu looked at him expectantly.

"I'm coming home," continued Kyu "Apparently they built a detective school right here. And the principal say I could study there some times. But for now, I'm enrolling back to our school."

"And my parents think home-schooling is anti-social," said Leo "So I'm coming back too."

"And our parents think that school we're going to is way too advanced," said Satsuki gesturing at both her and Hajime "We're coming back too."

"We're sorry we couldn't come back," said Megumi "Our parents are still going with the idea of being away." She gestured at her, Kinta and Kazuma.

"That's alright," said Momoko still holding on to Ryu "At least I have some friends back with me."

"We'll try our best to visit," said Megumi. Kinta and Kazuma nodded in agreement.

'Well than," said her dad "Let's all celebrate with dinner!" Everyone agreed to that and headed to the dining room.

XXX

The next day, Mokoru's trial began and ended happily. He was pronounced innocent for his accused crime. It seems that the culprit was someone who looked exactly like him. And he was only caught because the police thought he was the thief.

Everyone was overjoyed, especially Momoko. She had never felt this happy in all her life. And it was all because of Ryu. She looked at him and he looked back, smiling. From then on, Momoko felt it everything was right when Ryu was there.

**Authors note: **Hope you liked the story!! And I hope the ending wasn't corny! Drop comments! -


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